There are many truisms about journalism. That it should speak truth to power. That it must be rooted in community. But what do these mean in practice, especially at a time when journalism is facing an unprecedented set of threats – financial, technological, and political?

In this episode, George Miller talks to journalist and media commentator Jon Allsop about the challenges confronting journalism today and how he went about exploring them in his new book, What is Journalism For? Their conversation covers journalism’s complex relationship with democracy and power, the impact of declining local news, the evolving role of social media, and whether there's reason for hope amid the crises.

Society needs journalism, Jon says, but ‘that is not the same as saying society needs legacy media – large newspapers, cable news networks – and that these things will somehow be preserved in aspic forever, in the current form, and that traditional journalism with its ethical codes and its norms will persist forever.’

Jon Allsop writes for the Columbia Journalism Review, editing its flagship “Media Today” newsletter.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-is-journalism-for

The transcript is available here:

Timestamps:

01:43 - How do you explain what your job is?

05:02 - When you get up in the morning what is your journalistic diet? What is your routine?

08:27 - How did you decide the best way to tackle the question of what is journalism for?

13:16 - How did you actually approach that process of speaking to fellow journalists?

24:05 - Why do journalists sit so low in the league table of trusted professionals?

30:02 - How worried should we be about the disappearance of local news?

44:45 - Do you think there is reason to be hopeful even with the changing landscape of journalism?

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Billionaires represent a scourge of economic inequality, but how do they get away with it within our culture?

In this episode of our Transforming Business podcast series with Martin Parker, Carl Rhodes, author of ‘Stinking Rich’, explains the dangerous and deceptive myths which portray billionaires as a ‘force for good’.

They discuss the myths of the heroic, generous, meritorious and vigilante billionaire, and how their wealth and power is setting us back to old-fashioned feudalism and plutocracy.

Hosted by leading organization studies professor Martin Parker (University of Bristol), Transforming Business is a new series from Transforming Society, featuring in-depth conversations with top experts in work, economy, finance, employment, leadership, responsible and sustainable business, innovation, organising and activism. These insightful interviews explore fresh ideas and bold strategies for creating a more ethical and equitable business world. Tune in to challenge conventions, spark innovation and drive meaningful change.

Carl Rhodes is Professor of Organization Studies and Dean of the Business School, University of Technology Sydney.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/stinking-rich

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/03/26/podcast-the-myth-of-the-heroic-billionaire/

Timestamps:

00:31 - What did you want to achieve with this book?

01:25 - Why do you think we have an elevated perception of billionaires?

05:45 - The myth of the heroic billionaire

09:51 - The myth of the generous billionaire

14:04 - The myth of the meritorious billionaire

19:20 - The myth of the vigilante billionaire

26:30 - The importance of writing for a non-academic audience

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Everybody wants to change the world, but can we actually make a difference?

In the first episode of our Transforming Business podcast series with Martin Parker, Jane Holgate and John Page, authors of Changemakers: Radical Strategies for Social Movement Organising, discuss the power of activism and challenge the belief that change is impossible.

They explore the distinction between mobilising and organising, the role of optimism in driving social change and how we can actively contribute to meaningful transformation in our communities.

Hosted by leading organization studies professor Martin Parker (University of Bristol), Transforming Business is a new series from Transforming Society, featuring in-depth conversations with top experts in work, economy, finance, employment, leadership, responsible and sustainable business, innovation, organising and activism. These insightful interviews explore fresh ideas and bold strategies for creating a more ethical and equitable business world. Tune in to challenge conventions, spark innovation and drive meaningful change.

Jane Holgate is Professor of Work and Employment Relations at the University of Leeds and a Trustee of the Ella Baker School of Organising. John Page serves on the committee of the Ella Baker School of Organising.

Find out more about the book at: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/changemakers

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/03/19/podcast-changemaking-and-radical-hope-in-times-of-crisis/

Timestamps:

01:27 - Why is optimism important when thinking about social change?

03:43 - What about people who say this will never change?

06:46 - What is the distinction between mobilising and organising?

11:02 - What is the metaphor of the spider versus the starfish?

14:53 - How do you understand leadership?

17:41 - Can you reflect on the idea of giving people a sense they can participate actively in forms of social change?

21:12 - Can you talk about the difference between Saul Alinsky and Myles Horton's approaches?

27:12 - Who do you hope will buy this book? Who would you like to read it?

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Social work exists in a constant tension between caring and protecting vulnerable people, and the control mechanisms within the broader context social workers operate in. Where are the lines drawn in its dual role as an instrument of the state and an advocate for social justice?

In this episode Malcolm Carey and Gurnam Singh, guest editors of the Critical and Radical Social Work special issue on social work and social control, speak with Richard Kemp about this paradox of care and control.

They discuss the extreme scrutiny faced by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, the higher standards parents with a learning disability face and the many ways social workers exercise empathy to work both with, and around, the system to help those who need it the most.

Dr Malcolm Carey is Associate Professor in Social Work at Liverpool Hope University. Dr. Gurnam Singh is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick.

Read the special issue: https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/crsw/13/1/crsw.13.issue-1.xml

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/03/11/podcast-social-work-and-social-control/

Timestamps:

1:20 - What do you mean when you say these articles are a comprehensive exploration of how social work operates at the intersection of care, control, governance and resistance?

3:39 - How has the hollowing out following austerity affected the working classes?

6:33 - How does the lack of training for assessing parents with learning disabilities play out in day to day life?

11:33 - Where does the culture of holding parents with learning disabilities to higher standards come from?

13:15 - Are the demands on social workers effecting whether people want to get into social work as a profession?

16:05 - What's fuelling the narrative of the deserving citizen and the undeserving migrant?

23:27 - What are support workers doing to support young people against this hostile system?

30:00 - How can we ensure that social work is focused on safeguarding and not on perpetuating prejudices over vulnerable people?

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We’ve all blamed PMS on hormones but, despite popular belief, no direct causal link between female sex hormones and PMS has ever been proven. So why does the ‘hormonal woman’ stereotype persist? And how does it fuel outdated, sexist narratives about female health?

In this episode, Jess Miles speaks to Sally King, a visiting fellow in menstrual physiology at King’s College London, about the myths and sexist tropes that blame the healthy reproductive body for the female-prevalence of emotional distress and physical pain.

They discuss why so much of menstrual health focuses on hormones while overlooking the inflammatory nature of the cycle and what needs to change in healthcare, education and everyday conversations.

Sally King is a postdoctoral fellow in menstrual physiology at King’s College London who specialises in integrating biological and sociological research and data concerning menstrual health.

Find out more about Sally's book 'Menstrual Myth Busting: The Case of the Hormonal Female' at https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/exposing-menstrual-myths

For evidence-based information on this topic, Sally's website, Menstrual Matters, is an essential resource: https://www.menstrual-matters.com/

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/02/25/podcast-the-myth-of-the-hormonal-female/

Timestamps:

1:27 - What's your background?

5:29 - Who have you written the book for?

6:33 - What's the problem with focusing on hormones?

9:18 - What is spontaneous decidualisation?

15:30 - What are the myths around menstruation that you challenge?

26:21 - Can you tell the analogy with Dwayne the Rock Johnson?

29:06 - Can you talk about how these myths are perpetuated?

48:18 - What suggestions would you make for improving clinical practice and teaching?

50:35 - Can you tell us about Menstrual Matters?

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Alongside a growing interest in creative methods, researchers are increasingly exploring how to bring creativity into data analysis. But how do you strike the balance between innovation and maintaining a systematic, rigorous and ethical approach?

Jess Miles talks to Helen Kara, Dawn Mannay, and Alastair Roy, editors of The Handbook of Creative Data Analysis, about the role of creativity in research, its benefits for analysis and communication, and the anxieties and difficulties people might experience around using creative methods for the first time.

Find out more about the book at: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-handbook-of-creative-data-analysis

The transcript is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/01/14/podcast-how-to-be-creative-with-data-analysis/

Links to resources:

• The Handbook of Creative Data Analysis: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-handbook-of-creative-data-analysis
• Creativity in research webinar: https://youtu.be/yBW0MIfR944?feature=shared
• Creative Research Methods in Practice series: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creative-research-methods-in-practice
• International Creative Research Methods conference: https://creativeresearchmethods.com/
• 'Generating Materials' in Using Social Theory: https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857020253.n5
• Embodied Research Methods: https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/book/embodied-methods-social-sciences
• Epistemic Freedom in Africa: Deprovincialization and Decolonization: https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/41376/9781138588578_oachapter1.pdf
• 'Fabrication as ethical practice': https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2011.641993

Timestamps:

01:06 - How did the book come about?

06:13 - Why does creativity matter in research and data analysis?

12:28 - How does creative data analysis and co-production help with analysing, communicating and talking about research with a wider audience?

15:22 - How does creative data analysis bring the body into play and what's the significance of this?

21:15 - How does fiction and fictional elements fit into academic research?

26:25 - How can we mitigate the anxieties people have around using creative research methods?

34:50 - What would you say to someone looking to use creative research methods for the first time?

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Many of us have fond memories of going to the zoo as children, but zoo critics are vocal in their condemnation of keeping animals in captivity, believing there can be no such thing as a good zoo. Are the goals of entertainment, conservation, education and research more often in conflict than harmony? And are they ultimately irreconcilable with concern for animal welfare?

In this episode, George Miller talks to Heather Browning and Walter Veit, co-authors of 'What are Zoos For?' about the ethics of captivity, the challenges of balancing animal welfare with the need for public engagement, and the potential for zoos to drive meaningful conservation efforts. We also get to hear about Walter’s recent memorable encounter with Frank the feisty king penguin.

Heather Browning is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Southampton, working on philosophical questions in animal welfare, sentience, and ethics. She previously worked as a zookeeper and zoo animal welfare officer in Australia and New Zealand. Walter Veit is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Reading. His primary research interests lie in the intersection of the biological, social, and mind sciences and empirically informed philosophy and ethics.

Find out more about the book at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-are-zoos-for

The full transcript of the podcast is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2024/12/10/podcast-are-zoos-an-anachronism-in-the-21st-century/

Timestamps:

1:30 - Are you the kind of people who seek out the zoo when you visit a new city?

2:33 - How did you come into this field?

4:01 - What was the particular appeal to ask and answer this question of the purpose of zoos?

8:02 - How do you deal with the historical dimension of zoos?

13:03 - Do you have examples of people having moving moments being in close proximity to wild animals?

18:07 - What makes it so difficult to judge whether conservation is as compelling an argument as zoos maintain?

23:54 - How easy is it to establish what constitutes good welfare?

28:03 - Can you pick out a zoo encounter that really sticks in your memory?

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Life expectancy is about more than just health – it’s about the kind of society we live in.

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with David Walsh and Gerry McCartney, co-authors of 'Social Murder?: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK', about the monumental impact austerity has had, and continues to have, on life expectancy.

They discuss the real-life stories of people affected by austerity policies, the reasons austerity is often sidelined in official health reports and the steps that need to be taken to reverse the horrific effects of these last 14 years.

David Walsh is Senior Lecturer in Health Inequalities at the University of Glasgow and previously Programme Manager at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health. Gerry McCartney is Professor of Wellbeing Economy at the University of Glasgow and Honorary Consultant in Public Health at Public Health Scotland.

Find out more about the book at: https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/social-murder

The full transcript of the podcast is available here: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2024/12/03/podcast-austerity-the-silent-killer/

Timestamps:

1:20 - What is social murder?

4:30 - Why were social service cuts made?

9:45 - Can you go into more detail on some of the cuts and how the affected poorer people?

16:20 - Was it thoughtlessness that led to these cuts?

18:37 - Can you talk us through some of the real life stories, such as Moira's story?

25:48 - What is the idea of a 'participation society' and how does that link to the rise in food banks?

31:40 - What have institutions and governments ignored the research on austerity?

38:34 - Should we be measuring our economies differently?

41:10 - What steps do we need to take to reverse the effects of austerity?

44:16 - Where can we find you online?

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